Amazon brings Echo and Alexa to Canada

Amazon brings Echo and Alexa to Canada

Amazon has finally brought its line of Alexa-powered Echo speakers to Canada. The release of Echo hardware has been long awaited by America’s northern neighbor, which could only watch and wait as Echo went through two generations in the U.S.

Echo Dot, the second generation Echo and the Echo Plus with integrated smart home hub are all on sale in Canada as of today, compete with full Alexa voice assistant support. The Dot is $49.99 for a limited time (regular $69.99), the Echo is $99.99 (normally $129.99) and the Plus is $169.99 ($199.99 normally).

The launch also comes alongside amazon opening a dedicated smart home devices store in Canada, and offering access to Amazon Prime Music for Canadians, with over 1 million songs available to stream free for Prime members.

A lot of Canadians are already using Alexa and Echo, having procured them from US retailers or third parties who will ship across the border, but this has always involved workarounds like having a US Amazon account. Echo finally being available to Canadians officially is a big step, and is likely to strike a chord with customers. Google Home launched in the market earlier this year, too, so now consumers have some variety in their smart home speaker options.